Review of Waterboy, The

Introduction

Some comedies pride themselves on being totally insane, stories in which normality doesn`t tend to occur, even though the surroundings may be perceived as normal. Adam Sandler comedies are like that - the main character he plays is full of ideosyncracies and quirks that make them different: they could even be known as the modern day equivilent of Victorian `freaks`.

After the success of Happy Gilmore, this 1999 comedy is the story of Mama`s boy Bobby Boucher and his fascination with water. Yes, water - good old H20, the stuff that we are made of and the stuff that we rely on to continue living.

Boucher`s main ambition in life is to be the `waterboy` for the college team, a job that is hardly something to forge a successful career out of. Anyway, as humans do, the rest of the team pick on the young and very much naive waterboy, forcing him one day to let it all go - and subsequently beat the crap out of a player on the team. The coach witnesses this display of first-rate tackling, and wants him on the team...

Video

1.85:1 Widescreen Letterbox. Since this isn`t anamorphic, the colours aren`t as crisp and well defined as they could be, but the picture is still sharp throughout with little in the way of artefacts (the odd dust particle is present). The palette is fairly extensive, and does help in creating a very watchable transfer which was also one of the first DVDs from Buena Vista.

There are many different visual styles in the film - which is surprising in most comedies I suppose - as they range from action-packed football sequences to more sedate interior shots, and all are directed well, with the camera showing the viewer exactly what is going on, with no ambiguity: something that just isn`t needed in this genre.

Audio

Dolby Digital 5.1 (English & German). The surrounds are a little flat in this, as they are mainly used for ambience, so there is a lack of rear channel definition. But, the main audio stream, reserved for the dialogue, is crisp and clear throughout, and is most certainly better than a VHS copy!

The script, co-written by Sandler himself, is OK - your average farce, with a few funny moments but also some others that don`t tend to work, and go a bit OTT. The situations Boucher gets himself into are fairly predictable, and although they are unusual, there is little to intrigue the viewer.

Features

Absolutely nothing on offer here. When Buena Vista first started producing DVDs, they stuck no extra features on whatsoever - something they are still sorting out today, as they are having to re-release many of their back catalogue titles with better specs.

The menus are completely static and easy to navigate.

Conclusion

Amusing on first viewing, but then on repeated viewings the cracks will indeed begin to show. Yes, there are funny lines, and funny scenarios, but this is a very shallow comedy. Adam Sandler is incapable of writing something original, classy and funny: so he instead resorts to a clichéd plot and hyperactive characters.

The main source of inspiration for the film I suspect came from Forrest Gump: the Oscar-winner that was released five years prior to this. The parallels between the two are very similar on the surface, but at least Zemeckis` film had depth and a good narrative instead of this superficial film.

Although I am complaining of how this is a shallow and unoriginal comedy, I feel obliged to reward it with a good mark in the content stakes. Why? Because upon viewing, The Waterboy is actually strangely compelling. It may have stolen its plot from numerous other films (zero-to-hero premise for instance), but all the elements do go together in a fairly nice way.

The disc itself is fairly poor - just above-average presentation coupled with non-existent extras. Will Buena Vista continue their tradition and give this a Special Edition? If so, will anyone care? If the quality of the film was high, then yes, this deserves a redo. But honestly, some extra features and spruced-up presentation won`t make me want to rush out and buy it.

Is the film superficial? Yes. Is it enjoyable? Yes. But, the problem lies with repeat viewings: this just won`t hold up to more than a couple of sittings. Combine this with a lacking DVD, and this is only worth renting.